Early modern historian. Loves gender, women's, social & royal histories. Ventures elswhere when interest is piqued. Blog may cover above themes or something a little more random. Find me on Twitter @ruthrblair

Parliament Square: Protesting Trump in the Home of Democracy

I don’t pretend to be a political analyst. Indeed, I’m often apolitical because I just don’t want to do politics. Nevertheless, I can list several things I dislike about US President Donald Trump, but that can be said of several other political figures, too. However, in the western democratic world, we have the right of free speech and the right to protest peacefully.

Trump Baby Blimp, Parliament Square, London

Trump Baby Blimp, Parliament Square, London

Trump Baby Blimp, Parliament Square, London

Trump Baby Blimp, Parliament Square​ London

Enter the #TrumpBabyBlimp. This is a balloon that is today floating above Parliament Square in London, next door to Westminster Abbey, and a stone’s throw from the Houses of Parliament, to mark The Donald’s contentious visit to the UK. It has caused amusement, consternation and downright opposition as it humorously (depending on your persuasion) depicts Trump as a fat, orange, nappy-wearing baby – holding his ever-present mobile phone in preparation to Tweet!

Trump Baby Blimp, Parliament Square​ London

One person against this was on Sky News this morning and she thought it embarrassing as it denigrates the office of the President of the United States, as Trump was fairly and democratically elected. Something that many feel he has managed to do all by himself several times over. However, as she said, you can respect the office and not respect the man at the same time.

Trump Baby Blimp, Parliament Square, London

Trump Baby Blimp, Parliament Square, London

Trump Baby Blimp, Parliament Square, London

A free handout book

Anyway, Parliament Square is the home of many of British history’s political figures in statue form.

Watching the Trump Baby Blimp from plinths below are former Prime Ministers Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George, Benjamin Disraeli and Sir Robert Peel.

Winston Churchill, Parliament Square, London

David Lloyd George, Parliament Square, London

Sir Robert Peel, Parliament Square, London

Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield​, Parliament Square, London

You will also find the recent statue of suffragist Millicent Garrett Fawcett in Parliament Square, the last statue to be erected there earlier this year. (Read my post here.)

Millicent Garrett Fawcett, Parliament Square, London

International politics is represented, too, with statues commemorating Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. Oh, and now the Trump Baby!

Mahatma Gandhi, Parliament Square, London

Nelson Mandela, Parliament Square, London

Political protest in this fashion is not a new thing. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, caricaturists George Cruikshank and James Gillray would mercilessly and cruelly mock the royal family in published print. I’m sure they would approve of the Trump Baby Blimp and what it represents to those who oppose this particular American President.

26 thoughts on “Parliament Square: Protesting Trump in the Home of Democracy”

I’ll be the first brave soul to comment. All those famous statues must be looking down with horror and amazement at the immature narcissist personality disorder baby buffoon the US has elected as president. His die-hard supporters may like his policies but how can they possibly support the behavior? It is undignified, and an embarrassment to the office and the country. Yes you should respect the office of the president, but does he show respect for anybody???? No. He’s even picking on Canada now and who picks on Canada?

Haha, don’t hold back now! Personally, I agree with you. The morning after the election results came through I felt like there had been a death and I’ve never stepped a foot in the US, so I can only imagine how some Americans must feel. I also wondered how I could avoid the news for the next 4 years. Oddly, since then, I’ve been compelled to read news articles to see what is going on in planet Trump.

The morning after the election most Canadians were in shock…..we are such a polite nation that it was hard to grasp how such a rude ridiculing person could be elected to be president of the United States? I went to my yoga class that morning and everyone was in shock but there was an American lady in the class who LECTURED us Canadians about how we should give him a chance One lady was so upset she left……it was not very Zen! So I find it a puzzle how Americans can support him? (I don’t know many Americans to ask). I don’t get CNN on my cable TV package, so I don’t get the play by play details, what I see on the computer news and in the Canadian newspapers is more than enough….it’s like a bad reality tv show.

I wasn’t lucky enough to photograph them at Parliament Square, people were not in full placard waving mode. Later though after I’d sat in a coffee shop at Trafalgar Square to write my blog, I went outside to be met by the protestors marching! So I did my first Facebook live!

I think it is a shame and childish to see this behavior and to have people thinking it is great and funny to disrespect a President of any country. To be a President is a hard job. Here in America, I for one, have respected ALL Presidents even if I did not vote for them. I’m sorry, but I do not share in your happiness and glee in disrespecting our President.

Thanks for showing pictures of the protest! Unlike your previous American commentor, the right to speak freely is guaranteed in our constitution and when our president behaves as badly as this man does, we absolutely should be pointing it out. He disrespects the office and everyone outside his immediate family. He is a proven liar and simply a despicable person.
And to be clear – he was NOT democratically elected. We have a democratic republic and he was elected by the electoral college, not the citizens. He lost the popular vote by millions.
I am ashamed of my country for what the current congress and administration are wreaking in our society. Apologies to Canadians, and all our allies.

Thanks for your comment, funnily enough, my brother said the same thing to me earlier. I try to keep out of a lot of politics, it usually bores me, however, I have stayed pretty much engaged with the Trump saga. Obviously not the democratically elected bit, but the stories that make the headlines, the pussy grabbing, mocking disabled people, separating kids from parents and dissing south London (and its Mayor)! Like my royal wedding post, this was a recording of history in the making and I wanted to be there to witness it.

Agreed. It is worrying as he appears to be oblivious (or not caring) to the opposition. In the UK we have a history of ‘taking the mick’ out of our politicians – in the 80s it was the TV show Spitting Image. I think there is a blog post in there somewhere.

I don’t think he’s the brightest of sparks – its worrying really that someone like that can rise the way he did, it tells us something about the failings in our politics, the right has turned into moron central, and the left into pipe dream alley!

I believe the image of the woman watching the goings on holding a Puerto Rican flag says just about everything. Although I am ashamed he is my president, I appreciate the openness and intelligence you wrote this post in. People have just been loosing their minds, going on attack mode, and ceasing to think critically about what is going on. (Granted, there is plenty of reason for heightened emotions right now.)
On another note, thank you for your interest in my blog and I certainly look forward to following yours.

Ah yes! I do avoid the European scene a little bit, a friend studied it at uni – I read her paper on Berlusconi – like I said in my post, I’ve never been much of a follower of politics. I do like a bit of froth rather than angst!

No disrespect but I agree with you,😉even from what My American friends tell me but bear in mind if most of European leaders are taking distance from your president our prime minister is there kissing his ass and our vice prime minister officially declared he had been inspired by Trump😱thankfully you will vote again soon and Italians hopefully will understand where they are going to in four years.Nice talking to you😊

Whether someone feels it’s disrespectful or not, this is just a non violent why to protest and part of what we all highly value – freedom of expression. It sure is better than heated arguments or a shooting. As an American, I’m still proud to be one and stand behind my country. I personally don’t think The Donald is going about things in the right way at all but he IS the president. Mostly I just keep my mouth shut and stay out of the debates lol

Since my partner grew up in Texas, I’m aware of what some Trump supporters used to say and circulate about the Obamas. Talk about disrespecting the office. And now they complain about people who complain about Trump.

Actually, I have no problem with disrespecting the office. I do have problems with people who circulate the kind of racist trash they thought was funny, but that’s a different issue.